Lepidoptera. Like moths, butterflies are part of this animal order and symbolise transformation, metamorphosis and rebirth. Throughout the centuries, the brightly coloured winged insects with their conspicuous, fluttering flight and their enigmatic, fragile allure have been a popular motif in the visual and literary arts.

Damien Hirst, one of the UK’s most significant and recognised contemporary artists, has featured butterflies repeatedly in his work since the late 1980s as a symbol of both the beauty and fragility of life, thus making it one of his most distinctive and enduring representations.

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It therefore comes as no surprise that this year, world-renowned French crystal and glass manufacturer Lalique have collaborated with Hirst on a limited edition series of crystal panels representing the butterfly.

Lalique, with its 130-year heritage of craftsmanship and mastery of crystal, is exploring the modern possibilities of this form with exceptional talents, such as Hirst, whilst still preserving the iconic and timeless Art Nouveau and Art Deco influences embodied in René Lalique’s original Flora and Fauna pieces; the master was known to take pleasure from strolling in the country to observe the flight of insects.

Crystals being notoriously difficult to work with, these masterpieces once again demonstrate the boundless artistry of Lalique’s artisans who rose to the challenge of interpreting the artist’s vision, resulting in a visual tour de force showcasing a confluence of contemporary styles and traditional craftsmanship.

A-Gent of Style at the launch of Eternal, London February 2015

This exquisite collection, aptly coined ‘Eternal’, is available in three series – Love, Hope and Beauty – each depicting a different butterfly in twelve colourways. As opposed to the more florid and multifarious specimens of his past work, Hirst’s monochromatic butterflies in this edition remain simple – even serene – in their depiction, only to be counterbalanced by the striking, colourful backgrounds of the panels. Each panel is numbered and comes with the artist’s signature engraved in the bottom right-hand corner, and a signed edition certificate.

Versatility is another appeal here; the rectangular-shaped panels can be displayed in numerous ways including mounted on an easel, framed and hung across a wall partition, or inset into a wall, the latter option offering the effect of stained-glass windows, which in turn give a quasi-religious dimension to Hirst’s work. “I love that the panels have an almost religious feel”, the artist explains. “They make you think of stained glass windows which I’ve always adored, it’s the way they manage to capture colour and light so completely and then throw it back out at you.” Whilst butterflies might look static and lifeless in art that verges on taxidermy, Hirst adds that “I’ve always loved that they look identical in life and in death, but when the light shines through these panels, it feels like they’re brought back to life in some way.”

“I’ve always loved crystal”, continues the iconoclastic Englishman. “It’s both beautiful and difficult to work with, so I’m really excited about the project. It’s amazing being able to use all the expert craftsmanship and incredible history of Lalique for something new, and the results are beyond all my expectations”.

The Lalique store, London, February 2015

Silvio Denz, Chairman and CEO of Lalique, states: “An artist of immeasurable talent and worldwide renown, Hirst perfectly embodies his generation of artists, unafraid to embark on experiments, calling into question the strict definitions of art and what constitutes a work of art. Eternal, the magnificent result of this collaboration, takes as its motif the butterfly – close to the hearts of René Lalique and Damien Hirst, who shared a sense of the magical and paradoxical beauty of the butterfly, ephemeral and eternal at the same time.”

The Lalique store, London, February 2015

The collaboration was first unveiled at Lalique’s stand at Maison&Objet in Paris in January and at their Paris store shortly after (11 rue Royale, 75008).

The collaboration is now on show at Lalique’s London boutique (47 Conduit Street, W1S 2YP). For more information, please visit Lalique’s website.

The pineapple has long been a symbol of hospitality in design and architecture and is still trending today. So what better way to start the new year with a token of welcome, friendliness and graciousness and a compilation of images celebrating the now universal exotic and prickly fruit.

A-Gent of Style started compiling images of pineapples represented in interior design about six months ago and this feature wouldn’t have been possible partly without the help of the treasure trove of inspiration that is Instagram, so a big thank-you first and foremost to all my follow Instagramers from whom some of these images are borrowed.

“Pineapple” wallpaper by Adelphi Paper Hangings

Lyford Cay Club, by Tom Scheerer

Lyford Cay Club, by Tom Scheerer

Christopher Columbus discovered the pineapple, or ananas colossus, when he landed in Guadeloupe in 1493 and introduced it to the west on his return as “pine of the Indians”. This beautiful exotic fruit was given as a gift to promote hospitality and welcome. Pineapples were then extremely expensive (sugar and sweets were very uncommon) and were considered as a sign of prestige and affluence, first adorning homes and tables; much prized, the pineapple was often the centrepiece of table displays. In fact, people who could not afford to serve pineapples could rent them, use them as a centerpiece, and give them back after their banquet was over. By the 18th century, architects in Europe introduced the fruit in their work, carved in wood and stone, because of their novelty and value.

The Dunmore Pineapple, Scotland, a folly and summerhouse built for the fourth Earl of Dunmore in 1761 on the ground of Dunmore House, Scotland, featuring a 14 metre high carved stone pineapple on the top of the building.

The pineapple folly at Dunmore Estate, Scotland

A seventeenth-century painting of King Charles II receiving from his gardener the first pineapple ever to be grown in Britain. The depiction of the scene is a reflection of just how important an event it was.

Today, we see pineapples not only on facades and on the framework of historical edifices such as stately homes, churches or government buildings, doorways but also on fabric, wallpaper, tableware, lighting, ornaments, furniture and accessories.

Set of two metal table lamps with glass pineapple adornments from Joss & Main

Carolyne Roehm

Carolyne Roehm via Mark D Sikes instagram

via jourdan682 instagram

Pineapple silk damask by De Gournay

De Gournay silk damask

via Pigotts Store instagram

Console table by Chelsea Textiles at Ham Yard Hotel

Talbot Green Brocatelle. An original design by A W N Pugin represented by Watts & Co taken from a set of vestments at Pugin’s own church St Augustine’s Ramsgate and rewoven for St Chad’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Birmingham. Watts and Co. Church Fabric Supplier

by Cressida Bell

Studio Printworks Pineapple wallpaper or fabric

from The Rug Company

via Piggots Store instagram

by Chelsea Textiles

photograph by Julie Tinton

via jourdan682 instagram

Interior by and via Alessandra Branca instagram

Wisteria by Rose Tarlow

by Muriel Brandolini

Tinto wools by Zoffany

from Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. A 1940s six branch tole chandelier in the form of a pineapple, French

King’s Head, fabric by Vanderhurd

from 1stDibs

photograph by Julie Tinton

By Henri fitzwilliam lay, H&G Dec 2013

by Krishna Howlaji Ara, Untitled (still life)

by smallable.com via madabouthehouse.com

via adecorativeaffair instagram

fabric by Atelier d’Offard

wallpaper by Greg Kinsella

Interior of Marie Helene de Taillac, NYC

The Pineapple Frond wallpaper by Soane Britain

by Rose & Grey

Nicky Haslam Design for OKA

via Piggots Store instagram

by House of Hackney

via adecorativeaffair instagram

by Abigail Ahern

Pineapple fabric – Waverly Fabric Collection: Island Life

Maison CHARLES -Pair of Pineapple Motif Table Lamps from 1stdibs.com

Dorothy Draper framed Pineapple fabric, panel signed from 1stdibs.com

via jourdan682 instagram

Furnishing fabric by Pugin from the V&A

via paolomoschino instagram

by House of Hackney

Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) visited Queensland in 1920 on behalf of his father, King George V, to thank Australians for the part they had played in World War I. The banquet at Finney’s Cafe was gaily printed in the shape of a pineapple, and it is one of the earliest menus in the ‘royal visits’ collection.

by Rose & Grey

by Pentreath Hall

by Hannah Rampley

Staircase finial at Durham Castle

by Little Greene

by Thornback & Peel

A German silver pineapple cup and cover, 1610, that belonged to Michael Inchbald. Christie’s auction 2014